PM Ciuca: Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, a national act of will supported by Romania

Romania has expressed its support for the North Atlantic Alliance's open-door policy, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday, stressing that Finland and Sweden's decision to join NATO is "an act of will" on their part, and NATO has demonstrated its "defensive character, its unity, solidity, consistency in action."

"Romania has shown its support for the open-door policy of the North Atlantic Alliance. Finland and Sweden's decision to join [NATO] is an act of will of each of the nations, and the current context in which Russia has violated all international rules, has breached the provisions of the United Nations Charter, has resorted to armed aggression against a sovereign and independent state has prompted the two countries to decide to become members of an alliance that has shown its defensive character, has shown its spirit of solidarity, has demonstrated its unity, solidity, consistency in action and the decision to do everything possible to defend every inch of the member countries' territory. As such, Romania supports these steps," Ciuca told a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Antonio Costa, currently on a working visit to Bucharest.

The head of the Lisbon government, for his part, said that the accession of Finland and Sweden would strengthen NATO.

"We have expressed our support for the accession of Finland and Sweden. It is a free choice of the two states, two states that will certainly contribute to the strengthening of the North Atlantic Alliance. It is one of the most important aspects of Russia's defeat, and NATO has emerged strengthened with Sweden and Finland's bid to join. NATO member states need to approve this accession, and these issues to finalize the accession will be resolved in the diplomatic arena, and NATO will be strengthened by this accession," Costa said. AGERPRES